Top 5 Things to Remember When You’re Searching for a Job

Looking for a new job is hard. It’s as simple as that, and it’s easy to forget these top 5 things to remember when you’re searching for a job. You may be working long hours at a day job while searching for the career of your dreams, or you may have left a job only to spend countless hours searching for a new position. Whatever situation you may be in, I feel your pain and am here to help.

Searching for a job can be a long and tedious process, and it’s easy to feel dejected, however it is important to keep your spirits up and remember that everything always works itself out. It doesn’t make it any easier at the time, but often when you look back upon a time you were struggling, you can see how far you’ve come and progressed. To make it a little easier on you, I’ve rounded up the top 5 things to remember when you’re searching for a job:

1. Don’t take it personally, and try to look at things from a different perspective. You may have applied to hundreds or thousands of jobs, and it’s easy to get down on yourself, but it’s always important to look at things from a different perspective. You have no idea who’s on the other end, sifting through applications. Sometimes jobs are only posted for legal reasons, even when the company has a candidate in mind. Don’t take it personally if you don’t hear from an online job application. Chances are that it has nothing to do with you!
2. Remember that you’re likely one of hundreds or thousands of applicants. Because we have such easy access to job postings through websites such as recruiter.com, monster.com, and indeed.com, it is very common to be one of hundreds or thousands of applicants. The problem with this is that even if you’re completely qualified and would be a great candidate for the position, you may get passed over due to the sheer volume of candidates applying. This goes back to my first point, but don’t get discouraged. What is meant to be will be.
3. Don’t apply to every job under the sun. Contrary to popular belief, applying to more jobs is not better. Quality over quantity. It’s much better to apply to a few jobs that you really want, and focus on customizing your resume and cover letter to each position than to cast wide net and apply to a lot of jobs with the same resume and cover letter. Make sure you show the hiring manager and/or recruiter who you really are and pour your soul into each application. It may be a pain at the time, but your effort will show through and benefit you.
4. Don’t be afraid to use your connections and make it known that you are looking for a job. This is one of the biggest mistakes I see people make. You don’t want to earn a position through your connections, but reaching out to people you know who are in a similar field or work in a company you want to work at is always a good idea. Think of it this way: If you do get the position, you will have earned it yourself through your fantastic resume, cover letter, and interview, however you would have never known about the position if you hadn’t reached out to your contact. Chances are that you won’t regret reaching out to a connection to let them know you’re looking for a job.
5. You have to want it, and show others that you want it. I often see people who are applying for jobs they aren’t super excited about, and that is always very apparent in their applications. When on a job search, you have to be determined and know what you want. If you want something bad enough and work hard enough to get there, it will show through in your resume, cover letter, interview, and overall actions. Companies want to hire people who know what they want and will work their butt off to get there. If you can show that to people, you’ll always have good results.

It can be hard to keep your spirits up during a job search, but remember that you’re not alone, and at some point or another, every single person has been in the same spot as you. Take advantage of free time if you have it and better yourself. Take a class, do some volunteer work, and polish your application package. No one will look down upon you for taking time to improve yourself. Regardless of how you’re handling your job search, don’t forget about these top 5 things to remember when you’re searching for a job.